Thus it is that "We are accounted righteous before God," as the 11th Article scripturally declares " only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, by faith, and not for our own works or deservings." If the Apostles, gifted as they were, dared not boast, how shall we so far presume? "We dare not," writes St. Paul, "make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." (2 Cor. 10, 12.) Whosoever in deed and in truth believes in God, must love Him, with heart and mind and soul, and so loving must, as the natural habit of the mind so acquired,

stood texts to be found in St. Paul's epistles. But that it administers to human apathy and infirmity, "the folding of the hands to sleep," and the unwillingness to forego sinful indulgences, it would seem impossible that men should yield to such a misconstruction of an Apostle's words, as to conceive that profession without practice, Faith without the fruits of Faith, could be pleasing in His sight who bids us " Not to be weary in well doing," (Gal. 6, 9) but to be "always abounding in the work of the Lord.” (1 Cor. 15, 58.) To what purpose are His commandments, and His Holy and benign precepts made known to us if not to be obeyed? And who should obey them, but those who profess faith in Him who so ordains? We are truly said to be saved by Faith only, and why? Because without such consecrating motive for our thoughts and actions, unless what we do is done, as commanded, "for the honor and glory of God," and in conformity with His will, with the desire to please Him, and not to foster our own self estimation or for the world's praise, how are we His servants, or "what thank have we ?" (Luke 6, 32.) Who more forcibly than St. Paul explains the necessity of works, as the proof and result of real Faith? "Though I have all Faith," he writes, "so that I could remove mountains

seek to please Him in the exercise of every Christian virtue He commands. And He, abounding in goodness, rewards even the cup of cold water thus given in His name, and of which faith in His word, is the actuating motive. But to be self justified we must not only be perfect, but self perfect and unaided. Is this so? "What hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it." (1 Cor. 4, 7.) "In the good things that we do," observes the learned Hooker, "how many defects are there intermingled. There is no man's case so dangerous as his, whom Satan hath persuaded

and have not Charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not Charity, it profiteth me nothing." (1 Cor. 1, 13.) What then is this Charity of which the Apostle speaks, as so essential and indispensable an accompaniment to Faith? Thus he describes it: "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; Charity envieth not; Charity vaunteth not itself; is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth." Charity then, is Faith shown in thought, word, and deed-a pervading spirit of peace, good will towards man, disposing the mind to be "kindly affectioned," to "love one another as God has first loved us." It is because "love worketh no ill to his neighbour" that "love is the fulfilling of the law." "If ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them." But no real charistian can value himself for his imperfect doings, even for one instant. He knows to whom he owes all things, " the will to think and to do," and gives God the glory; and sensible of his own insufficiency, casts himself in heart and spirit on that sufficiency which is of God. (2 Cor. 3, 5.)

that his own righteousness shall present him pure and blameless in the sight of God."

So therefore as the remission of the penalty which inevitably follows sin, original or actual, could by no possibility be attributable to the righteousness of a then nonexistent, nor since existing race of men, God's preordained Covenant of forgiveness, is emphatically spoken of as the Covenant of Grace. It is, as we have seen, of God's own free will and bounty, that a way is opened to us of pardon and undeserved favor; and it is because this fore-appointed way is of His own pure election, not ours, that those among mankind who hearing God's holy word believe, and believing place their true faith in His blessed Son, and act according to the precepts which that faith enjoins, are called by the Apostle "The elect of God," the "chosen in (or through) Christ." So elect and so chosen, not for themselves, but according to the condition of a covenant open to all men, equally and universally—to "whosoever believeth”—without preference or distinction of persons, age, or nation. "For God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that feareth Him, and (as a consequence) worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him." (Acts 10, 34.) "There is no difference," declares St. Paul. "The righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ, is unto all, and upon all them that believe." (Rom. 3, 22.)

We should omit, a most important consideration as connected with our subject, if, having contemplated in

deep deference and thankfulness of heart, God the Father as predetermining, and God the Son in divine love fulfilling, we failed to reflect, that the counsels of the Most High must have remained sealed to human conception, and still "secret to us," but for the revelation made to mankind by God the Holy Ghost, "Who spake by the Prophets," and by whose inspiration and influence the divine unity of purpose in man's salvation is perfected, and through Him only. "No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost." (1 Cor. 12, 3.) "Verily, verily I say unto thee, except a man be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God." (John 3, 5.) "It is expedient for you," teaches our Saviour in another place, "that I go away, for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart I will send Him unto you." "When He, the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into all truth." (John 16.) "The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (John 14, 26.) And how mightily was that coming of the Holy Ghost manifested a few days after our Saviour's ascension by the miraculous gift of tongues, followed by the conversion of about 3,000 souls, on the day of Pentecost. (Acts 2, 41.)

Having thus briefly, but, as I trust, plainly and Scripturally, traced the natural connection of Foreknowledge and Original Sin, Predestination and Election, we will

proceed to examine how these points have been dealt with by others, and endeavour to remove the obscurities with which the subject has been surrounded.

It is no more than becoming, at least in members of the Church of England, to consult in all doctrinal difficulties the view which has been taken by grave and responsible Ministers and Stewards of God's word, of such passages in Holy Scripture as are, or appear to be, "hard to be understood." It is true that no man is infallible, nor any number of men, and it is moreover the corner stone of Protestantism, that "Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to Salvation, so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to Salvation." (See 6th Article.) But there was, undoubtedly, the application of so much sound wisdom, circumspection, and piety in drawing up the Articles of our Church, in times of great difficulty, that we should be inexcusable in refusing to profit by this admirable compendium of doctrinal points.

I propose therefore to state, 1st the 17th Article, which treates of Predestination and Election; 2ndly, the Scriptural authority selected by the Church in its support; and 3rdly, as I hope, to show that neither Holy Scripture, nor the Church of England, sanction Calvinistic interpretation.